As skiers and snowboarders flock to Mt Hutt to get their first taste of the white stuff for the season, mountain staff are run off their feet - and Tait radio communications are keeping them informed and on the alert.

Mt Hutt Ski Area, one of New Zealand's premier skifields, receives some of the deepest, lightest, driest powder in Australasia. It boasts the longest season in the Southern Hemisphere, and skiers and snowboarders come from around the world to master its slopes.

Reliable communications on the mountain is vital to Mt Hutt Ski Area - staff at all levels need to communicate clearly and frequently, from lift operators to maintenance personnel to ski patrol staff.

Not only that, the equipment staff use must be able to withstand the harshest of temperatures and weather conditions.

So when it comes to keeping in touch on the mountain and communicating back to the Methven base, Mt Hutt Ski Area staff use Tait Orca 5010 portable radios and T2010 mobile radios fitted to ski area vehicles.

The radios operate on 16 different channels for voice communications. Ski area staff from various departments communicate frequently to keep informed about road conditions, snow conditions, weather reports, maintenance issues and safety issues - and relay this information to ski area users to maximise their experience.

Staff need radios with a long battery life to get them through a full day on the mountain - and Tait Orca 5010s deliver. The radios feature an economy mode to reduce power consumption, and are built rugged to withstand the harsh conditions of everyday life on the mountain.

The Tait Orca 5010s have been specially customised for ski area staff - rather than a standard six-inch aerial, the radios were built with a three-inch aerial so staff could carry the radios comfortably in a chest harness.

Mt Hutt Mountain Manager Ross Lawrence takes his beanie off to Tait for producing such reliable, robust radios.

"Public and staff safety is a huge priority for us, particularly in the extreme alpine conditions on the mountain. With Tait radios, staff can keep in touch frequently and instantly inform ski area users of weather reports, slope conditions and safety issues," Mr Lawrence says.